Victorian Door Shrine Kit Tutorial

For this project I started with the super cool new Coffee Break Design Victorian Door Shrine Kit (designed by moi!)

You could also use the Baroque Door Shrine Kit or Traditional Door Shrine Kit!

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There are many options for altering the masonite pieces. Acrylic paints, covering with paper, gold leafing, the list goes on and on, however I decided to spray paint my pieces which was super quick and easy. I simply laid them on cardboard and applied 2 coats of red spray paint to each side.

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The spray paint gave wonderful, even coverage and like I said, was really fast!

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Next using some archival black ink and a script stamp, I stamped a few of my pieces. Loved how this looked! The pieces are nice and flat and if you alter the pieces prior to assembling they are really easy to work with. Anything you can do on a canvas can be done to the pieces! The sky is the limit.

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To speed things up I used my heat gun to dry the ink. This also helps "heat set" a bit.

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Assembly is very easy. Just use a bit of glue inside the recessed notches. Just about any white glue will work. I use my Matte Modge Podge for just about everything and it's great for the kits. Elmers, gel medium, wood glue, etc. will also work just fine.

For this kit, it's easiest to attach the sides first.

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Next attach the top, again placing the glue in the notches. The door goes in next with the top hinge inside the hole. The bottom gets attached next with the bottom hinge inside the bottom hole. This lets the door swing open and closed! This one is really easy to put together and instructions are also on the package.

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Finally, attach the lovely decorative header!

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And done! Super easy.

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I wanted to give my piece an aged look so I added some Patina Gilders Paste using my finger. I really focused on the edges of the piece. Remember in my Gilders Paste Tutorial I told you how great it looks over painted pieces? Well there you have it.

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Gilders Paste is also amazing when applied directly to our Masonite Cut-Outs. Here I added more Patina Gilders Paste directly onto our Masonite Gears and Mini Masonite Gears again using my finger. Very quick and easy!

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I attached them to the inside of my piece using Mod Podge.

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I was thinking about adding some light to my box later, so I thought a transparency in the window would be awesome. Any ATC sized Collage Sheet Transparency would be perfect. I went with the Vintage Steampunk ATC Backgrounds transparency sheet.

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I placed it on the back side of my door and then roughly traced out the piece with a sharpie. You'll want to leave a bit of a border so you can attach it to the back of the window.

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I've found that the very best way to attach a transparency (or vellum) is using Incredi-tape! It's crystal clear so you don't see it through the transparency and there will never be bubbles. Plus it's amazingly strong. The 1/8" Incredi-tape is really thin and perfect for something like this.

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Beautiful! It looks like stained glass.

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The Door Shrine Kits do come with door knobs, however I wanted something a bit fancier. The kits were designed to go perfectly with several of our new Brass Door Knob Plates. The plates fit right over the existing key hole in the door! How cool is that? I used the Fancy Brass Key Plate with the Rhinestone Knob.

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Of course I had to add a bit of Patina Gilders Paste to the Key Plate too. And as a final touch I attached another Gilded Masonite Gear to the header, layered with a random watch part.

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Finished! (or am I?)

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As you can see the door swings open and closed!

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The Door Shrine Kits are also sized to hold ATCs. You can use it to showcase one, or use the piece as storage for several!

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I wanted to highlight the transparency image so I had an idea...

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I went to Target and purchased a LED battery powered color changing light to put inside.
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The photos really don't do it justice. It's very cool!

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Notice the changing color!

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You could make some lovely Light up Christmas Houses too.

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Oh, I think my piece may be haunted! lol. I love this happy accident thanks to my shutter speed :).

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I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! In addition to the Victorian Door Shrine Kit you can also get the Baroque Door Shrine Kit and the Traditional Door Shrine Kit. All are ATC sized! The Traditional Door Shrine Kit is great for adding a mini assemblage to the top and is VERY stackable. The bases of all 3 kits are the same size so you could stack them and attach them to the sides of each other to make a whole building and the doors will still open!

Door Shrine Kit ideas:

1. Decorate your kit and use it to house a gift card for giving.

2. Create a lighted village for your mantel.

3. Use them to showcase or store ATCs.

4. Create a totem pole or building by attaching the kits by the sides (and tops with the Traditional Door Kit).

5. Use it as a traditional shrine to honor a person, place, or thing.

6. Turn your piece into an ornament.

7. Attach the back to a larger piece or assemblage.

8. Create a secret book to hide inside.

9. And a hook on the back and hang them on the wall to display family photos or secret treasures.

10. Use them to present a handmade gift such as some handmade jewelry. Especially if you are like me and you don't like wrapping presents.

Just a few ideas. I'm sure there are many more. As always, please feel free to use any of the ideas and/or techniques presented in this tutorial! Also, check out the fabulous Door Kits created by the Design Team. Have fun! xo